CUNA, World Council urge USAID to expand funding opportunities

CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle and Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan joined World Council of Credit Unions President/CEO Brian Branch and Vice President of Advocacy Andrew Price, as well as and former Congressman and House Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ed Royce to meet with USAID Administrator Mark Green Tuesday to appeal for a shift in the agency’s international development funding to include a wider array of smaller, underutilized partners such as credit unions.

Branch emphasized to Green that WOCCU’s global credit union network reaches more than 260 million members in 117 countries—allowing credit union volunteers, services and training to reach people across the world at the community level. Those communities often turn to their local credit unions for a response during geopolitical crises or natural disasters—and those credit unions often turn to World Council for guidance and the capacity to respond. This occurs in many countries prioritized by USAID.

Nussle and Royce urged Green to leverage more USAID dollars by working with community-based credit unions to develop programs that empower the self-reliance and economic potential of local citizens.